Grimes girls sweep ITC, LaFayette

In the first of back-to-back games Monday, the Bishop Grimes girls basketball team blew past Syracuse’s Institute of Technology 58-20 to improve to 5-0.

ITC, a first-year varsity program, hung in for a short while, but the Cobras eventually built a 30-14 halftime lead and held the Eagles to just six points in the second half.

Amanda Marcely, off a triple-double (23 points, 15 rebounds, 11 steals) in a Dec. 15 game against Weedsport, made the most of her short night, with 13 points, six rebounds and four steals in just 15 minutes of court time.

Ashley Morgan, in her varsity debut (she replaced an injured Amelia Heiselman), had eight points (including a pair of 3-pointers), while Maria King also got eight points. Lauren Vaughn and Ali Kelley earned six points apiece.

Just 24 hours later, the Cobras were at LaFayette, continuing to pound through the opposition as it beat the Lancers 54-29.

Grimes had LaFayette in trouble right away, nearly pitching a first-quarter shutout as it seized an 18-2 lead. For the rest of the night, the Cobras nursed that margin, using a 16-7 push through the third quarter just to be sure.

With the Lancers surrounding Marcely (she had just seven points), Cady Kalemba and Emma Kelley both flourished, hitting five 3-pointers between them as Kalemba produced 16 points and Kelley added a season-best 13 points. Ali Kelley also had seven points.

On Monday, the Bishop Grimes Holiday Tournament begins, and it’s a high-quality field. JV games start at 3 p.m., and at 6:15 the varsity schedule commences with Watertown IHC taking on state-ranked Class AA power Rochester Mercy, with the 7:45 game featuring Grimes against Utica-Notre Dame. The consolation and championship games are on Tuesday night.